JP4930286B2 - Knee airbag device for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle knee airbag device.

A structure in which a knee airbag module having a knee airbag and an inflator is built in a door (grab door) of a grab box is disclosed (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
German Patent Application No. 4209604 US Pat. No. 6,276,713

  However, if the knee airbag module is mounted as in the above-described conventional example, the mass of the grab door becomes heavy, and it is considered that a large operating force is required for opening and closing. Further, it is considered that the grab door becomes thicker according to the size of the knee airbag module, and the storage space of the grab box is reduced.

  In consideration of the above-mentioned fact, the present invention aims to reduce the influence on the operation force when opening and closing the grab door and the storage space of the grab box while incorporating the knee airbag and the inflator in the grab door of the grab box. And

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a grab box that is assembled and fixed at a position on the front side of the passenger seat in the instrument panel of the vehicle, and is folded and stored in a grab door that constitutes an occupant-side outer wall of the grab box. A knee airbag that bulges from the grab door toward the occupant and can be inflated and restrained between the grab door and the knee part of the occupant to restrain the knee part, and a center of rotation when the grab door is opened and closed in the grab door And an inflator that is fixed to the main body side of the grab box via a mounting bracket and supplies an inflating gas into the knee airbag, and the grab door includes the inflator . A notch for allowing relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket during opening and closing is provided .

In the vehicle knee airbag device according to claim 1, when the inflation gas is supplied from the inflator into the knee airbag, the knee airbag is inflated from the grab door to the occupant side, and the grab door and the occupant's knee It expands and develops between the parts. The knee part of the occupant can be restrained by the deployed knee airbag.

  In the vehicle knee airbag device according to claim 1, the inflator is disposed at the center of rotation when the grab door is opened and closed in the grab door, and is fixed to the main body side of the grab box via a mounting bracket. Therefore, an increase in the mass of the grab door can be suppressed while disposing the inflator in the grab door. For this reason, while incorporating a knee airbag and an inflator in the grab door of the grab box, it is possible to reduce the operating force when the grab door is opened and closed and the influence on the storage space of the grab box.

The grab door is provided with a notch that allows relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket when the grab door is opened and closed, so that the grab door can be opened and closed smoothly while fixing the inflator to the main body side of the grab box. it can.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the knee airbag device for a vehicle according to the first aspect , an inflator is disposed in the knee airbag, and the knee airbag is provided when the grab door is opened and closed. The mounting bracket is provided with a notch that allows relative angular displacement.

In the knee airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 2 , the inflator is disposed in the knee airbag, and the knee airbag is a cut-off that allows relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket when the grab door is opened and closed. Since the notch is provided, the grab door can be smoothly opened and closed while the inflator is fixed to the main body side of the grab box, and the inflation gas can be efficiently supplied from the inflator into the knee airbag.

  As described above, according to the knee airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 1 of the present invention, the knee bag and the inflator are incorporated in the grab door of the grab box, and the operation force when the grab door is opened and closed. As a result, it is possible to reduce the influence on the storage space of the grab box.

According to the knee airbag device for a vehicle according to claim 2 , the grab door can be smoothly opened and closed while the inflator is fixed to the main body side of the grab box, and the inflating gas from the inflator into the knee airbag Can be efficiently supplied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a knee airbag device 10 for a vehicle according to the present embodiment is a knee airbag device provided corresponding to a passenger seat (not shown) of a vehicle 12, as shown in FIG. 2. The knee airbag 14 and the inflator 16 are provided.

  The knee airbag 14 is folded and housed in a grab door 22 constituting an occupant-side outer wall of the grab box 20 of the vehicle 12, and inflated and deployed between the grab door 22 and an occupant's knee 24 (FIG. 9). The part 24 is configured to be restrained.

  Here, the structure of the grab box 20 will be briefly described. In FIG. 1, the grab box 20 includes the instrument panel 28 provided from the driver seat side where the steering wheel 26 and the like are installed to the passenger seat side. It is assembled and fixed at a position on the front side of the passenger seat. As shown in FIG. 2, the grab box 20 includes, for example, a main body 30 that forms a storage space 32 and a grab door 22 that forms an occupant-side outer wall. The main body 30 is configured, for example, as a box that opens to the vehicle rear side, and integrally includes an upper wall portion 30A, a lower wall portion 30B, a front wall portion 30C, and a side wall portion (not shown). A boss portion 30D for fixing the inflator 16 and a boss portion 30E (FIG. 8) for fixing the mounting bracket 18 that supports the grab door 22 so as to be openable and closable are formed on the lower surface of the lower wall portion 30B. Yes. As shown in FIG. 8, the mounting bracket 18 is fastened and fixed to the boss portion 30 </ b> E using, for example, a fixing screw 54.

  The grab door 22 combines an outer panel 34 positioned on the occupant side (rear side of the vehicle) when closed and an inner panel 36 positioned on the side opposite the occupant (front side of the vehicle) when closed. This is a lid that secures 16 mounting spaces 38. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, a pair of notch portions 22 </ b> A into which the tip end portion 18 </ b> A of the mounting bracket 18 can be inserted is formed in the grab door 22. A through hole 22 </ b> C reaching the notch 22 </ b> A is formed in the vehicle width direction at a position serving as a rotation center when the grab door 22 is opened and closed on the side surface 22 </ b> B of the grab door 22.

  On the other hand, a through hole 18B is also formed in the front end portion 18A of the mounting bracket 18 in the vehicle width direction. The leading end 18A is inserted into the notch 22A of the grab door 22, and the pin 40 is inserted into the through holes 22C and 18B, whereby the grab door 22 is supported by the mounting bracket 18 so as to be opened and closed (see also FIG. 8). The notch 22 </ b> A of the grab door 22 is formed corresponding to the opening / closing range of the grab door 22. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the height position of the pin 40 is lower than the lower wall portion 30 </ b> B of the main body 30 of the grab box 20, and the inflator 16 is disposed coaxially with the pin 40. Therefore, even if the thickness of the lower part of the grab door 22 is increased by the inflator 16, the influence on the storage space 32 is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the knee airbag 14 is folded and stored in a mounting space 38 in the grab door 22. In the outer panel 34 of the grab door 22, a so-called tear line 42 is provided at a position facing the folded knee airbag 14. The tear line 42 is a breakable portion formed in, for example, an H shape that breaks due to the inflation pressure of the knee airbag 14, and is provided on the back surface of the outer panel 34 so that it cannot be seen from the passenger side (see also FIG. 1). ). By forming the tear line 42 in an H shape, when the knee airbag 14 is inflated and deployed, a portion of the outer panel 34 along the tear line 42 becomes a pair of upper and lower door portions 34A, which is on the passenger side, above the vehicle, and below the vehicle. (See FIG. 9).

  In FIG. 2, the inflator 16 is disposed at the center of rotation of the grab door 22 when the grab door 22 is opened and closed, and is fixed to the main body 30 side of the grab box 20 via a mounting bracket 46. Gas generating means for supplying an expansion gas into the inside. As shown in FIG. 7, the inflator 16 is configured, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and is a center of rotation when the grab door 22 is opened and closed in a state of being disposed, for example, in the lower portion of the knee airbag 14. It is arranged coaxially with the pin 40 (FIG. 6).

  The mounting brackets 46 are fixed, for example, to both ends of the inflator 16 one by one and extend through the knee airbag 14 and the grab door 22 to the front side of the vehicle (see FIGS. 6 and 7). A through hole 46 </ b> A that penetrates in the vehicle vertical direction is formed at the front end of the mounting bracket 46. The mounting bracket 46 is fastened and fixed to the boss portion 30D of the lower wall portion 30B of the main body 30 of the grab box 20 by the fixing screw 44 as shown in FIGS. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the grab door 22 and the knee airbag 14 are provided with notches 22 </ b> K and 14 </ b> K that allow relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket 46 when the grab door 22 is opened and closed. In the knee airbag 14, for example, the notches 14K are provided at two locations corresponding to the positions of the pair of mounting brackets 46 (see FIG. 7), and the widths of the respective mounting brackets 46 and the glove door 22 are opened and closed. In the range corresponding to the relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket 46. As shown in FIG. 7, the peripheral edge of the notch 14 </ b> K is reinforced by, for example, a reinforcing cloth 50. Thereby, the knee airbag 14 can rotate relative to the inflator 16 when the grab door 22 is opened and closed. The notches 14K are not limited to those provided independently corresponding to the positions of the mounting brackets 46, but may be configured as window-like notches straddling both the mounting brackets 46 (see FIG. Not shown).

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6, in the grab door 22, the notches 22 </ b> K are provided at two locations corresponding to the positions of the pair of mounting brackets 46, for example, and the width of each mounting bracket 46 and the grab door 22. It is formed in a range corresponding to the relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket 46 when opening and closing (see also FIG. 3). As a result, the grab door 22 can rotate relative to the inflator 16 when the grab door 22 is opened and closed. The notches 22K are not limited to those provided independently corresponding to the positions of the mounting brackets 46, but may be configured as window-like notches straddling both the mounting brackets 46 (FIG. Not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the inflator 16 is connected to an airbag ECU (not shown) via a wire harness 48, and is operated by an operating current from the airbag ECU. In contrast, an expansion gas is supplied. The airbag ECU is configured to flow an operating current to the inflator 16 when a frontal collision of the vehicle is determined based on a signal from a collision sensor (not shown). The wire harness 48 is inserted into the grab door 22 from, for example, the notch 22K, and is inserted into the knee airbag 14 from the notch 14K and connected to the inflator 16.

(Function)
This embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation thereof will be described below. In FIG. 2, in the vehicle knee airbag device 10, the inflator 16 is disposed in the grab door 22 and is fixed to the main body 30 side of the grab box 20 via a mounting bracket 46. 16 can be provided, and an increase in the mass of the grab door 22 can be suppressed.

  Specifically, by fixing the inflator 16 disposed in the grab door 22 to the main body 30 side, the moment of inertia when the grab door 22 is opened and closed can be suppressed. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, an increase in the operating force of the grab door 22 when the grab door 22 is opened in the arrow O direction or closed in the arrow C direction can be suppressed.

  At this time, the grab door 22 and the knee airbag 14 are provided with notches 22K and 14K that allow relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket when the grab door 22 is opened and closed. Interference of the mounting bracket 46 with the grab door 22 and the knee airbag 14 is suppressed. For this reason, the grab door 22 can be opened and closed smoothly while fixing the inflator 16 to the main body 30 side of the grab box 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the grab door 22 is rotationally supported by the pin 40 that is the center of rotation and the mounting bracket 18 in which the pin 40 is inserted, and can be opened and closed around the pin 40.

  The height position of the pin 40 is lower than the lower wall portion 30B of the main body 30 of the grab box 20, and the inflator 16 is disposed coaxially with the pin 40. Therefore, the inflator 16 is incorporated. Thus, even if the thickness of the lower part of the grab door 22 is increased, the influence on the storage space 32 is small. For this reason, while the knee airbag 14 and the inflator 16 are built in the grab door 22 of the grab box 20, the operation force when the grab door 22 is opened and closed and the influence on the storage space 32 of the grab box 20 can be reduced.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle knee airbag device 10 during a frontal collision of the vehicle will be described. For example, when the vehicle has a frontal collision and the airbag ECU determines the occurrence of the frontal collision based on a signal from the collision sensor, an ignition current is supplied to the inflator 16. The inflator 16 is operated by the ignition current and generates a large amount of gas. By supplying this gas to the knee airbag 14, the knee airbag 14 begins to expand. In the present embodiment, since the inflator 16 is disposed in the knee airbag 14, the inflation gas can be efficiently supplied from the inflator 16 into the knee airbag 14.

  Then, in FIG. 2, the outer panel 34 of the grab door 22 is broken along the H-shaped tear line 42 by the inflation pressure of the knee airbag 14, and the tear line 42 of the outer panel 34 as shown in FIG. The portions along the line form a pair of door portions 34A, which are developed on the passenger side, above the vehicle, and below the vehicle, respectively, and an opening 58 is formed. The knee airbag 14 is inflated from the opening 58 toward the occupant side and is deployed between the knee 24 and the grab door 22 of the occupant. The knee airbag 24 of the occupant can be restrained by the knee airbag 14 thus deployed.

  In the above embodiment, a tear line 42 is provided on the outer panel 34 of the grab door 22, and the tear line 42 is broken by the inflation pressure of the knee airbag 14, so that the knee airbag 14 is laid from the inside of the grab door 22 to the passenger side. However, the means for inflating the knee airbag 14 in this way is not limited to the tear line 42. For example, an opening may be formed in the grab door 22 by separating a separate door provided on the outer panel 34 when the knee airbag 14 is inflated and deployed. Further, the outer panel 34 may be configured to be detached from the inner panel 36.

  In the illustrated example, the knee airbag 14 is simply folded and stored in the mounting space 38 in the grab door 22. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the knee airbag 14 is covered with a covering material, for example. Also good. In this case, the covering material is also provided with a notch corresponding to the notch 14K. Further, how to fold the knee airbag 14 is not limited to the illustrated example.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the inflator 16 shall be arrange | positioned in the knee airbag 14, it is not restricted to this about the invention of Claim 1, For example, the inflator 16 is knee airbag in the glove door 22. 14, the knee airbag 14 and the inflator 16 may be connected by a gas supply pipe.

  Further, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the grab door 22 is rotationally supported by the pin 40 and the mounting bracket 18, but the configuration for rotationally supporting the grab door 22 is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a stud (not shown) protrudes from the side surface 22B of the grab door 22 and the stud is rotatably supported on the instrument panel 28 side may be employed. In this case, the inflator 16 is disposed coaxially with the stud.

1 is a front view showing a state in which a vicinity of an instrument panel is viewed from a passenger compartment in a vehicle having a vehicle knee airbag device. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along arrow 2-2 in FIG. 1 showing a state in which a grab door is closed in a vehicle knee airbag device. It is an expanded sectional view showing composition of an inflator and its peripheral part in a knee airbag device for vehicles in the state where a grab door was closed. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the state which opened the grab door from the state of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view showing composition of an inflator and its peripheral part in a knee airbag device for vehicles in the state where a grab door was opened. It is a disassembled perspective view of a grab door, a mounting bracket, and a pin. It is a perspective view which shows the knee airbag which the inflator was provided in the inside and the attachment bracket protruded from the notch part. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along arrow 8-8 in FIG. 1, showing an example of a knee airbag attachment state in the vehicle knee airbag device. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which the knee portion is restrained by a knee airbag inflated and deployed between the knee portion of the occupant and the outer panel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle knee airbag apparatus 12 Vehicle 14 Knee airbag 14K Notch part 16 Inflator 20 Grab box 22 Grab door 22K Notch part 24 Knee part
28 instrument panel 30 body 40 pin (rotation center when opening and closing the grab door)
46 Mounting bracket

Claims (2)

A grab box that is assembled and fixed in a position on the front side of the passenger seat in the instrument panel of the vehicle;
A knee air that is folded and housed in a grab door that constitutes the occupant-side outer wall of the grab box, bulges from the grab door to the occupant side, and is inflated and deployed between the grab door and the knee part of the occupant to restrain the knee part With a bag,
An inflator that is disposed at the center of rotation when the grab door is opened and closed in the grab door, is fixed to the main body side of the grab box via a mounting bracket, and supplies inflation gas into the knee airbag; Have
A knee airbag device for a vehicle , wherein the grab door is provided with a notch that allows relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket when the grab door is opened and closed . The inflator is disposed in the knee airbag;
The vehicle knee airbag device according to claim 1 , wherein the knee airbag is provided with a notch that allows relative angular displacement of the mounting bracket when the grab door is opened and closed.

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